DHL Announces Major Strengthening of its Domestic Infrastructure by Utilizing Central Japan International Airport

12/30/2004, 12:00 AM CET

DHL Express Japan, the world's leading express and logistics company plans to open a new facility at Central Japan International Airport which is scheduled to open in February 2005. DHL will also open 12 new service centers, primarily in the Tokai/Hokuriku (Chubu) area, to strengthen its infrastructure in Japan. The new infrastructure investment, which constitutes Phase 2 of an investment plan pursued by DHL since 1999, will total approximately 4 billion yen. In such ways, by investing not only in airport facilities but also in land-based property, DHL will stimulate potential demand, contribute to the economy revitalization in the area, and further consolidate its position as Japan's top express delivery company.

The facility with customs clearance and bonded warehousing, which is scheduled to be built at Central Japan International Airport in the second half of 2005, will cover more than 5,000 square meters. Prior to this development, DHL will expand its Nagoya Chuo Service Center in Minato Ward, Nagoya, to include services such as customs clearance and bonded warehousing to coincide with the opening of Central Japan International Airport in February. As a result, current cut-off times will be extended, making it more convenience for customers in the Nagoya area.

Regarding the 12 new service centers that DHL plans to open primarily in the Chubu area, the specifics are as follows. March 2005: Gifu, Mie, Miyagi, and Tochigi; April: Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, and Shiga; May: Yamagata, Niigata, Kumamoto, and Ehime. This will make a total of 39 DHL service centers in Japan, allowing DHL to offer same-day morning deliveries of imported cargo in the Chubu area, which encompasses Aichi, Shizuoka, Nagano, Gifu, Mie, and Shiga. This will also enable same-day deliveries to be made in regions such as Tohoku and Kyushu, where service for such cargo was previously restricted to deliveries on the following day. The current series of investments will extend the total floor area of DHL facilities in Japan to approximately 30,000 square meters. In addition, DHL will deploy about 200 new staff and 100 new vehicles.

Because the Tokai/Hokuriku area has always had high volume of imports and exports as well as needs for global logistics, and because the opening of Central Japan International Airport is further attracting Japanese industries to the area, DHL has decided to make effective use of Central Japan International Airport. This past fall, DHL almost doubled its cargo handling capacity between Japan and Hong Kong, which is the Asia-Pacific region's biggest hub. This was achieved through the deployment, at Narita and Kansai International Airports, of Airbus A300-600F cargo aircraft launched by AHK Air Hong Kong Limited (Air Hong Kong), a joint venture with Cathay Pacific Airways. In bolstering its land-based services through the opening of new facilities and increasing the cargo capacity of aircraft, DHL aims to respond effectively to sophisticated logistics needs and provide solutions which satisfy customers in Japan, an important market for DHL.